Kota Energy Group

Name: Kota Energy Group
Rating: 3.3

3.3

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7 User Reviews

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3.3

star star star star_half star_border

7 User Reviews

Compare

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LAST UPDATED: January 17th, 2023

KOTA Energy Group’s mission is to educate customers, guide decision making and then properly install and maintain solar systems. The company prides itself on providing a hassle-free solar installation service from start to finish.

For potential entrepreneurs, KOTA Energy Group is a fascinating prospect. With the company’s approach to solar sales, KOTA Energy Group is streamlining the sales to solar installation process benefiting both the solar industry and solar customers alike.

KOTA Energy Group “enables channel partners and sales reps the ability to participate in an aggregated baseline that provides greater profit, the ability to scale and grow, a system built with a robust process driven platform that encourages and promotes increased sales volume, and perhaps most importantly, sustainability with install partners that focus on quality without sacrificing velocity metrics.”

While there are moving parts, KOTA Energy Group will handle everything on behalf of the client. The sale, the design, the permits, the installation, and the maintenance will all be handled by a member of the KOTA Energy Group.

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The Good

Top Tier Products
Financing Options
Warranty and Inspection
Service Area

Top Tier Products

KOTA Energy Group is a Solaria Pro Partner and installs the Solaria PowerXT panels. These specific panels produce 20% more energy per square meter than traditional solar panels. This means that not only is the solar installation service top of the line, but the equipment that KOTA Energy Group installs on clients’ properties is also top tier. An equipment partnership with Solaria elevates the KOTA Energy Group service offerings.

Financing Options

Even with tax incentives, solar panels and installation can be expensive. Not every home or business owner is in the financial position to pay upfront for both the system and installation. In order to help as many people as possible, the KOTA Energy Group offers two financing options for clients: loans and power purchase agreements (PPAs).

The customer pays $0 upfront with both financing options. One significant difference is that customers who choose to finance with a loan will be eligible to keep any tax benefits and rebates, whereas customers who choose the PPA option forfeit those benefits and rebates to the solar company.

Warranty and Inspection

Warranties are standard within the solar industry. Typically, manufacturers will offer an equipment warranty on their products. This warranty ranges anywhere from 15 to 25 years, which is the anticipated lifespan on solar panels. Then solar companies that actually install solar systems will provide a workmanship warranty to protect clients from any errors in the installation process. The industry standard workmanship warranty is 10 years.

This is where the KOTA Energy Group breaks the mold. The company offers a 25-year workmanship warranty and has a roof penetration stipulation as part of that warranty. Additionally, KOTA Energy Group conducts an 86-point quality inspection prior to the system being turned on to ensure that everything is firing properly.

Service Area

Many solar companies only offer solar installation services in one state or even just the most populated cities within a particular state. However, KOTA Energy Group has figured out how to scale and grow within the solar industry.

KOTA Energy Group now services the following states:

Arizona
California
Colorado
Florida
Illinois
Massachusetts
New Jersey
New York
Nevada
Texas
Utah

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The Bad

Solar Broker
Limited Experience

Solar Broker

Although KOTA Energy Group does appear to provide a variety of services, the company is still considered a solar broker, which can mean that the company does not offer solar panels, maintenance, and other solar product offerings directly.

Limited Experience

While solar panels and solar systems have been around for years, they've had a reputation for being incredibly expensive, making it cost prohibitive for the masses to access solar energy. With federal and state tax incentives coming into play, the solar industry started to boom. Solar installation companies started to pop up across the country as the demand for solar systems skyrocketed.

Some companies within the industry have been a part of the solar space since the beginning, but the KOTA Energy Group is not one of those. KOTA Energy Group was founded in 2018 and has only been providing solar services for the last four years. While that does not mean that the company cannot provide a high level of service, it is important to note as other solar companies have been doing this much longer.

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The Bottom Line

KOTA Energy Group provides high level solar sales and installation services in 11 states across the country. By focusing on the sales aspect of the solar industry, KOTA Energy Group has been able to expand and reach markets most solar companies are unable to service. The company is a Solaria partner allowing for highly efficient panels to be installed on clients' properties.

KOTA Energy Group provides an industry leading warranty and inspection process and makes it possible for clients in varying financial situations to comfortably afford solar installation.

While KOTA Energy Group provides a comprehensive solar service, there are some concerns regarding its operation. KOTA Energy Group is first and foremost a sales engine, pushing to sell as many clients as possible on solar systems. Additionally, the company has only been in operation since 2018, making it relatively new to the solar industry.

Despite its mild drawbacks, KOTA Energy Group provides one of the most high level and streamlined solar processes in the industry. Prospective solar clients would be wise to consider KOTA Energy Group for solar installation services.

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User Reviews

Star Rating

3.3

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7 Reviews

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Bill Dam

I had my solar system installed by KOTA recently. They checked off every single box: sales rep, installers and installation quality, price, responsiveness, warranties, product and equipment, customer service.. 10/10 for everything!!! I am very happy with everything from beginning to end. The sales rep, Lauren B, came to my door about a month ago. At first, I was very skeptical because my bill was pretty low. Lauren was able to show me the value of solar and still manage to bring my monthly payments to a price that is less than what I pay for electricity today, and I am getting 2x as much power as I use today, AND they installed a charger for my Tesla that arrived this week. Lauren explained every step of the process to me. She made it to where I didn't even have to lift a finger! Her knowledge of solar and everything she did to understand my needs and make sure my system was tailored exactly to the needs of my house gave me confidence every step of the way. She never came to my house empty handed, always had thoughtful and meaningful gifts with her. The price was also EXCELLENT. It was the best price of all bids I got. I have been impressed with Kota every step of the way. The technicians and installers were also a pleasure to work with. They did my whole installation in half a day and were very hardworking men. I would HIGHLY recommend KOTA Solar and the sales rep Lauren B to anyone considering solar for their home.

6 months ago

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M R

Definitely like the way these guys show up! The first guy came to my door the other day and I was on a call then he came back again today after me telling him to “beat it!” I can appreciate someone who doesn’t take no for an answer and I like that it didn’t even phase the guy! As for the equipment I can’t say just yet but my neighbor seemed to have a good Experience with them so I’m going to at least hear the guy out. I will update after our next interaction!

8 months ago

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Julie Galbraith Martinez, CA

Wonderful customer service getting solar with KOTA! I was a little curious about solar but assumed it was too expensive. However, when our friendly representative from KOTA (Jake R) visited our door and mentioned that the federal solar tax credit was extended, I decided to sit down and learn more. I am glad I did! Jake explained the process, benefits, and financial breakdown very well and answered all my questions. He was also patient when I asked him to come back in a few days, so I had time to get other quotes. After doing more research and looking at competitors, I decided to move forward with KOTA. Throughout the whole process, Jake kept us up to date and answered questions, stopped by for all the key steps, and was courteous and professional. The whole process was surprisingly quick, and it now feels great to be generating solar energy for less cost than I was paying the utility company. We highly recommend KOTA Energy for your home solar. I can’t imagine a better customer service experience, and the product and installation are top-notch.

1 year ago

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Jolynn Sanborn Pleasant Hill, CA

Some great news for my rooftop and all thanks to Kristian T. and KOTA! He dropped by to see if he could help me save money and energy. His kind and professional approach was very much appreciated. He provided supportive knowledge regarding solar. I had done much research on the benefits of solar so I was pleasantly surprised to find his presentation accurate and well designed for my needs. He took all the time I wanted for full comprehension of the products he had to offer and to explain the procedure for installation. Kristian's kindness and care were the primary aspects of the follow up that made it easy for me to refer my family and neighbors. I knew the solar products were the highest quality and the person offering them matched the product. I actively referred others because of the quality of the entire experience. My energy bills reflect the financial gain solar has been for me. The pleasant experience and high-quality products are fantastic additions to the energy savings I have documented since the solar panel installation. Kristian stopping by to offer his products and exceptional customer service has proven to be a total game-changer for me in so many ways.

2 years ago Edited September 14, 2021

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Thomas Triggs Ventura, CA

Kota installed solar panels right next to an old hot water heater vent that prevents 2 of our panels from performing at full capacity. At first Kota refused to address the issue and basically said the pipe is the problem. That is exactly my point. They are the experts so why would they propose putting the panels so close to the vent in the first place. After dozens of attempts to get them to address the issue they finally scheduled a day to come out and look at the issue. An hour before the appointment they texted a cancellation message saying they’d get back with me with a new day. They didn’t do so. After another call they had me on hold once again. They then proposed charging me to remove the panels while I paid another company to remove the vent and then Kota would charge me to reinstall the panels. It has been maddening trying to deal with this company after they received payment for the panels and installation. I expect them to take responsibility for their error and make this right in order for us to get 100% out of our panels. We specifically went through all of our future electrical needs when deciding on the number of panels to install and now we are not getting what we paid for. We are extremely disappointed and expect this matter to be rectified.

4 months ago

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Russell Moulder American Canyon, CA

The worst Solar company. We have unobstructed roof and one of the panels is underproducing a lot. VP of the company said yes it is and it would cost too much to replace(yes $50,000 and a warranty) the one panel it would make them not make as much money on the deal. WHAT? Bad product and they won’t honor their warranty. The whole system is only two years old. Beware of this company. Untrustworthy and downright dishonest.

8 months ago

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Bettie Philips Everett, WA

This company sends their employees out to give an estimate and make you feel as though they can give you exactly what you want when the company actually cannot do all the salesman said they could! Since they had to upgrade our panel for the solar and asked them if they could upgrade our panel with more breakers! Raymond, their salesman, "Sure, no problem! We can do that for you!" We needed a roof as well, roofers were efficient and did a great job! Solar installers were quick and they did their job but the electrical people did not install what we thought we had purchased! All this time (btw, we initially began this whole process in May 2021, it is November 6, 2021 and our solar has not been turned on yet!) Raymond lead us onto believing that we had purchased additional breakers! Well after their installation of the panel, we go outside and the panel has exactly the same amount of breakers that we already had, no added breakers were added like we had been discussing several times with Raymond! We immediately called Raymond, the salesman, to tell him that our panel was not upgraded with extra breakers! He said he was calling his bosses to find out why it wasn't upgraded! I called several times and each time he kept saying they (the bosses) weren't getting back to him! It wasn't until I wrote a review about this company's shady practices that they immediately responded! Now they said Raymond says he never told us they could upgrade our panel! Hahaha, that's funny that I have a text message from Raymond asking if they were able to upgrade our panel? Beware of this companies lying promises and unethical sales tactics just to make a sale!! Our contract also says we bought 30 panels, there are only 28 panels up on our roof! I received a phone call from the CEO, he wants to clarify and find out exactly what Raymond told they could do for regarding the upgraded breakers so the CEO sets a date and time for this 3-way conversation to happen on. I still had to call him because he (the CEO) never responded and the agreed upon 3-way phone day! This alone speaks volumes about their company's poor communication when the CEO sets a date and he can't keep it! So when the 3-way phone conversation does finally happen between myself, the CEO and Raymond, Raymond then says he never told us this! I told him he was lying and the owner then says, "I got hit in the head with a golf ball and I have a headache and I have to hang up!" These is how the CEO handles business! There is nothing worse than a lier, this says a lot about the integrity and character of the employees and company and owner! Just Beware! No wonder they are not one of the top 5 solar companies, no integrity! Do your solar homework and choose wisely!

1 year ago

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